Our Off Season Trip to Kalahari in the Poconos

To say I am delayed in this post wouldn’t even be right. This was from fall last year. Whoops. But this was such a fun trip I still wanted share it.

We have been traveling a little more with the kids lately and I want to write about it more. We are in this sweet spot where they are old enough to do stuff and we can ALL actually have fun. We also have been doing some fun local things that I want to share about as well.

But back to Kalahari.

We had planned a mid-September trip back to Marco Island, Florida, but Hurricane Irma forced us to cancel our trip.

We really couldn’t fly any where on the Gulf Coast and not be in Irma’s way. We thought about somewhere sunny on the West Coast but it would have been probably been twice as expensive. We heard good things about Kalahari in The Poconos, Pennsylvania and decided to go for it!
The Kalahari resort in the Poconos is only a few years old and it’s HUGE. I was really bummed the outdoor pools were closed because it was still pretty warm out but there was still more than enough to do. This photo above only shows one side of the outdoor area.There is a whole other side with a swim up bar (!!!), slides and more. We are headed back for Austin’s birthday this summer so I will post on the outdoor waterpark when we get back.

The kids were so excited when we arrived. The lobby is clean and has beautiful marble floors and a really cool jungle theme with fountains and ornate fireplaces and tiki huts. And of course there is the huge glass window that looks into the largest indoor water park in the United States.

We didn’t spring for the themed room for the kids. Austin still crawls in bed with us and Lilly loves her crib so it wouldn’t be worth the money but maybe next time!

The rooms are really big and still have safari decorations. What we loved most was how kid friendly they were. No huge furniture with sharp edges. Everything is soft and there is lots of space for crazy kids who run around like wild animals.

I had my heart set on pina coladas in Marco Island so I was so happy to still find them here.

Another really cool thing was that the indoor water park has a HUGE area for toddlers as well. There was plenty for Lilly to do (who was just one at the time).

Austin (4) was able to ride so many of the slides. There were only a few that he wasn’t tall enough for. He loved everything. The wave pool was really cool too.

Did I mention the fun drinks? There are multiple bars in the indoor park. There is a swim up grotto and two other regular bars. The grotto was closed and I was really bummed but these really helped make it feel like vacation for us too!

Look at that smile!

We ate twice at a casual dinning restaurant that was right in the lobby. I think the resort may have changed it’s name and menu since then. It was just okay. We splurged one night and went to Double Cut Charcoal Grill and it was worth every penny. My filet was amazing, so was the tuna tartare. Nick and I still talk about the lobster bisque. I don’t think they have a bad thing on the menu.

Because it was off season the restaurant was pretty empty. I think that’s why a lot of the other restaurants were closed. There were still plenty of dining options though. Plus, I didn’t have to be embarrassed about my loud kids in the empty restaurant!

At night, after the kids went to sleep, Nick and I took turns leaving the room and checking out the rest of the resort. One night I got a spa treatment and the next night Nick checked out “The Arena,” a virtual reality experience.

There was also a massive game room that Austin and Lilly loved. Austin could have just stayed there all day. They napped HARD.

Last but not least. This was the cherry on the sundae. Hiking. Because you are so close to the Pocono Mountains there is hiking RIGHT BEHIND RESORT.

There is a guided tour but the instructor told us how to find Pocono Manor Falls on our own.

After we left the resort we stayed a few days in a little cabin we rented in the mountains by Lake Harmony.Next time I think we will just do Kalahari and forget the lake house. I’m a beach girl.